When Donald Trump's Thursday morning began with a former producer of “The Apprentice” accusing him of using a racist slur to describe a black contestant, the former president didn't know it was going to be the best news of his day.
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and living life in America.
That afternoon, a jury of his peers handed down a 34-count conviction. Quite a finishing touch for a man who a year ago was also found responsible for sexual assault and defamation by a jury. In 2022, two of his companies were convicted of fraud.
As if all that wasn't reason enough to worry about the corruption that a possible second Trump term could bring, there are now reports that the former president is becoming friends with Elon Musk. In fact, Trump is said to be considering adding Musk as an advisor if he wins in November.
Imagine: one of the richest men in the world joining forces with a convicted felon running for president. He's the kind of partner Ian Fleming would have appreciated. A duo of villains worthy of Bond.
musk wants Put a computer chip in your brain.and Trump said he wants be a dictator for a day. Musk stopped Ukraine from using Starlink Internet services in their fight against Russia. Trump admires Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he would encourage Russia to attack NATO countries.
Musk grew up in an affluent area in apartheid South Africa and today speaks ill of workplace diversity efforts.
According to Trump's niece Mary, racist slurs like the ones Trump is accused of using on set were common in the Trump household. So did anti-Semitic slurs, which probably explains why Trump said white nationalists (those carrying torches and chanting, “Jews will not replace us”) were “very good people.”
That was in 2017, when Trump called himself the “law and order” president. I'm pretty sure his supporters didn't take that to mean that he and many of the people he brought with him to the White House (Paul Manafort, Stephen K. Bannon, Mike Flynn, Roger Stone) would face prison terms. .
But of course, if Republicans really cared about “law and order,” Trump would never have made it to the Republican debate stage in 2015. He and his companies had already been involved in thousands of lawsuits. In fact, when Trump initially announced his candidacy, he was simultaneously dealing with a class-action lawsuit filed against Trump University. (Alleging fraud, in case you were wondering).
Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who said after Thursday's verdict that “today is a shameful day in American history,” may try to characterize the hush money trial as “the use of our justice system as a weapon,” but the reality is that Trump has had problems with our legal system since Johnson was in diapers. I'm not kidding. The saga began in 1973 with the Nixon administration. Until now, Trump has been involved in 4,095 lawsuits and counting.
He is not a victim who is unfairly attacked by Democrats.
Trump is a scammer who keeps getting caught.
When he first ran for president, he told his supporters not to worry about his lack of political experience because his business pedigree qualified him for the position. And then we found out that his companies had been cooking the books for decades and that Trump's father repeatedly bailed him out of bad financial decisions. Don't be ashamed to get help, unless you have claimed that you are a successful and self-made man.
And many believed his boasts, although he He became a millionaire at the age of 8not through cunning deals but because of his family's wealth.
Thursday's guilty verdict marked the first time a former president has been convicted of a serious crime. This is truly historic.
However, Trump himself being found guilty in a court of law should surprise no one.
Especially not in New York, where Trump grew up, became famous, made money, and had most of his run-ins with the law.
Perhaps in 2016, because of his charisma and celebrity, it was easy to overlook how corrupt Trump was. Now, his corruption is difficult to avoid.
None of this suggests he can't still win the White House. This time, however, there is no plausible attempt to “drain the swamp” or “make America great.”
No, this time voters know that Trump is a criminal. Now we have the receipts.
